Letter: Contrived 'cliff'

The "fiscal cliff" is a contrivance. Neither higher taxes nor spending cuts are necessary to avert disaster. The real aim of this fatuous "cliffhanger" is to snuff the self-funded, public, insurance programs — Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — the Holy Grail of wealthy conservatism.

One side pretends to give an arm while the other side — the vast majority of Americans — will give an arm and two legs. The rising costs of Medicare eat into the annual budget and reduce the amount of money left for the private sector. A single-payer health care system would make the issue disappear.

Individuals, households, businesses, local and state governments must earn, save, borrow or tax money as users of the currency. As the sovereign, monopoly issuer of its own currency, the federal government is uniquely different: It cannot become insolvent. It is not operationally dependent on taxes and can spend into the economy whatever Congress allows.

The federal government's red ink is the private sector's black ink. The debt ceiling is an artificial cap. Federal taxes only serve as a thermostat to regulate a cool or overheated economy: lower them when unemployment is high; raise them when unemployment is low and excessive demand causes inflation.

We are not becoming Greece, and China does not own us. We control our own destiny. If anything, Washington should be spending more money on such things as infrastructure, education and clean energy to boost the economy.

A majority of voters spoke with a clear message when they re-elected President Obama: Increase jobs and do not cut social insurance programs.